New Year's Eve Tale
by Emmanuelle Nathan
Summary: Bella is on holiday when she is called by her boss to do an urgent job.  A fluffy gift for 2011
1. Chapter 1

**S. Meyers owns Twilight.**

**London, 30th January 2011.**

**This is a New Year's gift to all of those who have come along for the ride with me since I started writing. It's a **_**very**_** silly and fluffy two chapter short story. It's about as far removed from This Buried Life as you can get. I thought of this on New Year's Eve and it grew into a bit of a monster before I realised it. It is un-beta'd. All mistakes are my own.**

**This is for: My friend and beta, Songster. She didn't beta this. If she had this wouldn't have been a surprise. I don't have words to describe how brilliant she is. It was a pleasure seeing her in London and I trust in her return very soon.**

**This is for: Spring Hale. If she hadn't introduced me to the magical world of ffn I'd have missed out on so much. Love you for getting me hooked!**

**This is for: MasenVixen and gkkstitch. You've been an invaluable a source of support and encouragement. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you do. **

**This is for: SR, for introducing me to Songster. Without that connection I probably wouldn't be writing nor having as much fun as I am.**

**This is for: Rhian0000 and Icy. Cocktails in Soho aren't nearly as much fun when they aren't with you. I've loved meeting you.**

**This is for: All of you who I have come to know through ffn twitterdom, as well as each and every one of you who has reviewed This Buried Life. I hope you approve.**

**Thank you, and have a happy and safe 2011.**

NEW YEAR'S TALE

The Christmas music was playing quietly on the overhead speakers even though Christmas Day had been celebrated 6 days before. Despite the early hour of the morning, the airport was busy with festive season travelers making their way home or to see friends for New Year's Eve.

Bella Swan was standing anxiously by the Arrivals gate. She knew that the flight that she was waiting for had landed.

She knew that the people she was to meet had boarded the flight safely and without any trouble.

She knew that they should be appearing at any moment.

And she knew that she absolutely did not want to be there meeting them.

She looked at her watch for the eighth time in the last five minutes. She wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

Her mind couldn't seem to focus and calm itself. She blamed the three lattes and one espresso that she'd already had. In reality her anxiety, for that was what it was, had started when her hotel phone had rung at five o'clock that morning. Fearing that it was her father calling to tell her that Uncle Billy had taken a turn for the worse she had answered it, rather than let the machine kick in.

She was regretting that now. It hadn't been her father. It had been her boss, Tanya Knight.

"Thank God, you're there."

"And hello to you too, Tanya."

Bella had been pleased that she managed to keep most of the sarcasm out of her voice.

"No need to be sarcastic, Bella," Tanya snapped back. "I wouldn't call if it wasn't an emergency."

Well, maybe she hadn't managed it. The fact that it was an 'emergency' didn't make her feel bad about it though. Ninety-nine percent of Tanya's calls were regarding an 'emergency' of one kind or another.

"I'm on vacation."

"I know, I know," Tanya said dismissively. "Believe me, I heard you when you said that you weren't going to be on call when you were over in London, but I wouldn't call if it wasn't urgent."

"This is the only holiday I've taken in over a year. Can't you get someone else to do whatever it is? I have plans for my last four days here."

"Please Bella. I can't trust this to anyone else."

Bella knew she'd sooner or later end up doing whatever job it was. She knew Tanya and her powers of persuasion. They were world renowned and the reason why Tanya was the best publicist in the business.

For once, she thought, she was going to make sure that she would get something in return for putting herself out like this. Not having a filter at this time in the morning might just work to her benefit. "What do I get in return?"

"A raise?"

"What else?"

There was silence at the other end of the phone. Bella wondered if she'd overstepped the mark. Tanya was not one to push. She could be a bitch and make her assistant's life a living hell. That, together with the long hours and her impossibly high standards, were the reasons why before Bella had arrived, the longest an assistant had managed to stay with Tanya had been a month and a half. Bella had surprised Tanya, and in fact herself, that she had outlasted that assistant by 15 months. It wasn't that Tanya was any kinder to her, or didn't expect her to be available for work at any given hour, it was that their working styles complemented one another. Where Tanya could be prickly, demanding and brilliant at getting results for her clients, Bella would smooth ruffled feathers, charm any offended parties and know how to handle talent. It just worked.

Holding the receiver, Bella chewed on her lower lip. It was her way of reminding herself not to break the silence. It was one of the first things she'd learnt from Tanya and her formidable negotiation skills. People always seemed to want to fill silences and were more likely to capitulate the longer they lasted. This was the first time Bella had tried the technique on Tanya herself.

She could hear Tanya's breathing. Maybe she had pushed too far and she was just about give up and break the silence herself when Tanya broke it first.

"OK. OK… You can run Cannes this year."

Bella had nearly dropped the phone. She was now wide awake and more than willing to hear what Tanya required of her.

=.=

Bella checked the time on her Blackberry. Eight thirty. If they were going to be much later she feared that news would break about their arrival and that would mean the inevitable appearance of the paparazzi.

They should be here by now.

She was nervous that something had happened. She tried calling them on both numbers but there was no reply. She sighed. Movie stars are temperamental at the best of times and it was best not to antagonize them, particularly this early in the morning. Just as she was pondering what she could do, Bella looked up to see the doors to Terminal One Arrivals swing open. There they were.

She moved forward to greet them, but before she could open her mouth Kate Denali opened hers.

"What are you doing here? Where's Tanya?"

"Good morning. She's been held up in New York," Bella said as pleasantly as she could, glad that her filter was firmly in place this time.

Kate Denali humphed, clearly put out and disapproving of this turn of events. The man next to her, casually dressed, sporting a baseball cap pulled down low and a pair of designer sunglasses, remained silent. Kate Denali looked Bella up and down before saying to her travelling companion, "Well I suppose we'll have to slum it." Turning to the nearby exit, she and the tall, lean man at her side made their way towards their waiting car.

=.=

By the time Bella arrived at the limo the two actors were already ensconced behind tinted black windows in the back seat. She was covered in a light sheen of sweat having had to push the trolley laden with luggage that her two charges had abandoned. Her already sour mood was turning acidic but as she approached the car she gave herself a pep-talk and reminded herself that if she got through this Tanya had promised her a career opportunity of a lifetime.

When the driver saw Bella he rushed over to take the trolley from her, and began to load the bags into the trunk, apologizing for having to stay with the car and not help her with the cases. She graciously reassured him that she understood before they both got into the front of the car.

"I hope you haven't booked us into the Dorchester again. It's such a boring dump and we want to have some fun. Don't we baby?"

Ever polite Bella turned in her seat to respond, only to see Kate Denali drape herself over the pin-up star next to her, who, Bella noticed, was looking straight ahead and still sporting his sunglasses.

She turned back to give the two of them privacy and replied, "The studio have booked you suites at the Soho Hotel."

She hadn't finished her sentence before the privacy screen had closed.

=.=

"But baby, I wanted connected suites."

Kate Denali's whine made her sound like a toddler whose rattle had been confiscated.

"I'm sure the studio tried everything they could Miss Denali. I have a call in to their people to see if they can resolve this with the hotel," Bella said trying to mediate.

Kate's eyes swung to find Bella who was standing as far away from the couple as she could in an elevator.

"Pfft. I guess that's what we get when Tanya's not here to help us."

It was at this moment that her companion, who had hitherto remained behind sunglasses and silent, decided to speak. "It's okay Katie. I'm not planning on spending much time in my suite anyhow."

The girl he was addressing clearly took that to mean that he would be spending much, if not all, of his time in her room and proceeded to try and climb up his body. Bella, unsurprised by such behaviour in her line of business, looked stoically straight ahead at the mirrored doors in front of her. What did surprise her was that the tall man behind her seemed to be looking at their reflection also and not at the female body currently pressed up against his.

=.=

"Here is your key card Miss Denali, and a copy of your itinerary. My number and contact information are at the top of it and if you have any questions at all please call me. I will see you in the lobby at eight o'clock this evening to take you to the party. Is there anything I can do for you now?"

"Yeah, where are my goddamn cases? I need to get out of these clothes."

Bella was actually surprised that this was a valid question. She had been expecting something far more trivial. Or rude.

"They're bringing them right up."

"Come on in Eddie, let's explore the bedroom."

Bella thought that she saw the actress's boyfriend stiffen, and his voice, although she'd only heard it once before, seemed to have a decidedly chilly tone to it when he responded.

"Not right now. I need to make a couple of calls."

He walked off down the hallway and Bella, having given a polite nod to Kate Denali, hurried to catch up with him.

At the door to his suite Bella handed him his pack.

"Here is your key card, and the itinerary for you," she repeated, feeling slightly foolish while doing so.

He used the key card to open the door, and Bella was given a glimpse of the luxury beyond.

"Well, I'll leave you to it and will see you at eight in the lobby."

"Aren't you going to ask me if there is anything that you can do for me?"

Bella was so surprised at his words, and the seductive tone in which they were said, that she dropped the folder that she'd been holding. She quickly bent down to pick it up only to knock her head against something hard. She gasped holding the point of impact, looked up and gasped again. Large vivid green eyes were staring back at her in surprise. He was also rubbing his head and said "Here, let me…"

Bella found herself relieved of everything that she was carrying and being ushered into the Terrace Suite.

He turned to face her and mumbled something Bella couldn't hear.

"Here, please sit down," he said before she could apologize. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry."

"It happens." He was smiling at her and she was struck by the fact because the smile lit up his face in a way that she had hitherto not seen since meeting him.

The two of them looked at one another for a moment longer.

"My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself at the airport."

Bella knew her eyes were wide by the end of his first sentence to her. Firstly, there was not a woman, nor, Bella suspected, man in the Western world who wouldn't recognize the young actor. With or without sunglasses and baseball cap.

Secondly, she personally had followed his career with the loyalty of a 15 year old fangirl. It was a fact that she kept closely guarded. It was something that would hardly be considered professional in her line of work.

As it happened the spectre of working with him had appeared in the past and Bella had made certain that she was always busy with other clients so that Tanya had to bring in a freelancer to assist her. This had only happened twice, but each time Bella had been sent into such a spin that she feared that she would not be able to behave in the cool, calm and collected manner she prided herself on. She was sure that rather than being the efficient film publicist she was, she would spend much of the time swooning over him. It was for this reason that, when she'd heard who she was to be meeting at the airport this morning, she'd done everything in her power to focus all her attention on the high maintenance actress he was currently dating and to ignore Kate Denali's travelling companion.

Now he seemed to be trying to engage her in conversation. Bella was not pleased. This was going to make her pledge of ignoring him very difficult.

"Hello." Bella was pleased with her response. Short. Not too friendly, yet polite. With any luck it would be enough and would get her out of the room quickly.

She soon realised that this might not be the case when he said, "You must be Bella Swan."

"How do you know my name?" she blurted out. She could already feel her cheeks flushing; never a good sign.

"Oh, I think everyone knows your name," he smiled again. "Your reputation for working with Tanya Knight, and surviving, precedes you."

Yes, she was most definitely in trouble Bella decided. The swooning was about to begin. She needed to manage the situation and quickly if she wanted to keep such a favourable reputation.

"You're very well informed."

"Just because I'm an actor doesn't mean I have to be spoon-fed. I can keep up with what's happening around me."

Her blush was out of embarrassment now.

"I didn't mean to imply…"

"I know," he kindly interrupted her second apology, "I'm well aware of what people think about actors. Publicists especially."

His signature smirk was firmly in place and she thought her knees might give way beneath her.

"I suspect you're used to seeing the worst side of us aren't you?" He paused, not taking his eyes off her. "This morning being no exception I'm afraid. I think I owe you an apology for Kate." He raised his eyebrows at her.

"It's fine. Really." She stammered, somewhat fixated on his eyebrows. They were a lot bigger than she'd ever noticed before. A ray of hope flickered within her. This might be the way to keep her from becoming a wobbling school-girl-esque admirer of the fine looking gentleman in front of her. He was imperfect. He was human. And she had her job to do. If she could just keep reminding herself about this fact, she could get through the next 24 hours and see him and Miss Denali safely onto the plane with as little trouble as possible.

She tore her eyes away from his face, holding onto the image of those rather pronounced eyebrows.

Bella moved to leave.

"Now I should let you rest. You must be tired."

"Actually," he said moving to stop her departure, "I have a favour to ask you."

Her stomach dropped at the thought that he wasn't making it easy for her to distance herself from him. "Of course. How can I help?"

"Well, actually there are two things…" he paused, "I was hoping you wouldn't chase the Studio people about getting Kate the adjoining Suite."

There was nothing that Bella could do about the surprised look on her face.

"But I thought you were together." The words were again out before she could stop them, and she clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Err… no…" He seemed to struggle for words and Bella took pity on him.

"It's none of my business. I don't know why I said that."

"Well, she did put on quite a show this morning…" he was smiling at Bella, and butterflies exploded in her belly. She glanced up at his eyebrows to remind herself that he wasn't perfect, and it went some way to help get her back into her professional frame of mind.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem, Mr. Cullen."

"Edward, please."

"Err…" She had to look at his bushy eyebrows again, "What was the second thing?"

"I was wondering if you had the guest list of who was going to be there tonight."

She blinked at him. It was an easy request. "Sure. Just a moment."

She pulled out her Blackberry and started to type. She found that the publicist at the Studio was online.

To: Alice Whitlock  
Date: 31 December 2010 10:44  
Subject: Studio party tonight

_Ali hon, can you help me out with something? I'm looking after Kate Denali and Edward Cullen while they are in London. They've asked for the RSVPs for this evening. Any chance you can let us have a copy? _

_Bella  
x_

To: Bella Swan  
Date: 31 December 2010 10:47  
Subject: Re: Studio party tonight

_Sure thing. Just working on it now. Let me just update it and I'll send it right over.  
How are you holding out? You know my war stories about you-know-who._

_Ax_

Bella smiled at Alice's email. She took a look around the room to check that he wasn't close enough to see her reply and she was surprised to see that she was alone. He must be checking out the suite. She started composing her reply when there was a knock at the front door.

She didn't know what to do. This wasn't her room, so she waited a couple of minutes. There was another knock. He might have ordered room service for himself, Bella thought, so she reached for the door.

Then everything seemed to happen at the same time.

She opened the door and saw Kate Denali leaning up against the doorjamb clad only in her underwear. Bella had a brief second to appreciate the flawless body and the exquisite matching satin set that was adorning it before a ghastly screech emanated from the actress's mouth.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?"

Bella was pushed back into the room by the apoplectic young lady, stumbled and banged her shin against the back of the couch. Pain shot up her leg and she winced, managing to say "I… I was helping Mr. Cullen with something." She hoped that this would appease the fury that was being directed at her.

Unfortunately at that very second the man in question came out of what was clearly an adjoining bedroom dressed only in his slacks.

Good Lord, Bella thought. Her knees were wobbling again. She was hard-pressed to not admire his physique. Of course the fact that Mr Cullen and Miss Denali were both semi-naked also had her wondering about the propensity of actors to make an entrance.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Miss Denali was clearly further angered by this new development and turned its full force onto Bella. "Do you really think you have a chance at seducing him? That's pathetic. Just look at you."

The scornful look that Bella was subjected to would have withered the most hardened heart, not the least one that had held a secret torch for the subject in question.

She held her breath trying to contain the hurt, both of the words and dull ache of her leg. Before she could collect herself further she heard the woman in front of her dismiss her with a snarling, "Get out."

She didn't wait to be told again and quickly closed the door behind her. She paused for a second to gather her wits and reminded herself that this sort of behaviour was not unusual in her line of work. She just hated being party to it.

Down in the lobby she received an email:

To: Alice Whitlock  
Date: 31 December 2010 11:02  
Subject: Re: Studio party tonight  
Attached: RSVPs

_Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else. Hope all's well._

_x_

As she walked over to Reception Bella decided that she'd give Alice a call after she finished up at the hotel.

"Hi Maria," she greeted the girl she usually dealt with.

"Hey, all settled in?"

"Just about. Do you have a printer I could borrow?"

=.=

Bella Swan had tried unsuccessfully to nap and was contemplating taking a shower. She was on the way to the bathroom when the doorbell of her hotel room rang. She was expecting the tickets for the evening's party to be delivered and detoured without bothering with her robe to answer it. What she found there was not a courier, but a bronze haired man who, in her humble opinion, closely resembled a Greek god.

"Sorry to disturb you. Can I come in?"

She mutely opened the door wider to allow him in. It was only while closing it that her mind managed to catch up with the strange realisation that the pin-up that she had often lusted over was now standing in her cramped hotel room.

"Are you alright Mr. Cullen? What can I do for you?"

"You can start calling me Edward." His famous smirk was back, and so Bella tried to concentrate on his eyebrows. Unfortunately at that moment she also remembered that she was dressed only in the tank top and shorts she wore for bed.

She looked down at herself and closed her eyes. She didn't want him to see her like this. Her embarrassment made itself known by blossoming across her cheeks, and Edward, not insensitive to having surprised his publicist, instantly regretted his spur-of-the-moment decision to seek her out where she was staying. Despite this, Edward Cullen also acknowledged to himself that he didn't want to be anywhere other than where he was right at that second, and so he tried to exert some damage control.

"I'm sorry to have hijacked you like this, but I really wanted to see you."

He watched while she went from a lovely shade of pink to scarlet in under three seconds. She looked divine, but he also didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable and so tried to distract her by saying, "I haven't had anything to eat today, have you? Shall we order room service?"

He walked up to the telephone by her bed and looked over his shoulder at her.

"What would you like?"

Hearing those words fall from his lips combined with the vision of him standing by her unmade bed Bella Swan thought that she might just spontaneously combust. Luckily she had the presence of mind to respond and said, "How about a Greek salad and an omelette?"

"Perfect."

With that he turned away from her picking up the phone and discretely gave her some privacy so that she could gather herself.

=.=

When Bella came out of the bathroom ten minutes later she was dressed in a tight T shirt and semi-smart jeans.

She found Edward Cullen lying on the bed with his shoulders leaning against the headboard reading a script. His feet were adorned only by his socks. The bed beneath him had been made and all her clothes that had been scattered around the bedroom had been neatly folded and put in a pile on the cabinet in the corner of the room.

She might have had her mouth open as she looked around the room.

He looked up at her and smiled shyly.

"I hope you don't mind… I made myself comfortable."

She couldn't help smiling back

"I can see that."

Before she could say anything else there was a loud knock at the door announcing room service.

=.=

They were sitting side by side on the bed and had finished the late lunchtime picnic Edward had ordered. They were watching _Back to the Future_, and had discovered that they shared the guilty pleasure of thinking it was one of the best films of all time. It had broken the ice, and now, nearly two hours later they were laughing.

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads," Bella quoted.

Edward snorted rather loudly, "If I'd known you were such a geek Swan, I'd have never come. I have my image to maintain you know!"

Bella was already giggling at his snort. And who wouldn't when it came from such a perfect specimen.

"As if you can talk Cullen, you were the one reciting most of the movie."

She couldn't believe how comfortable they had become with one another so quickly. Not only he had been entertaining and charming, but also natural and without the ego that so many of his fellow actors were famous for.

For his part Edward hadn't felt so… at home in a long while. He'd been working solidly for the last two and half years, often away from home and living out of a suitcase. He wasn't complaining. He'd been to the most beautiful parts of the world, all the while doing what he loved best. But sitting in this small hotel room with Bella Swan made him realise what he had really been missing.

Comfort.

It wasn't an absence of material comfort. He had plenty of that surrounding him all of the time. No, it was a lack of being completely comfortable with someone else. No pretences, no mask, just himself with no fear of being appraised or used. There were times of late when he had felt that he had lost himself. He had nothing to keep him grounded; nothing to remind him of who he was. Yet here, with this young woman, he felt carefree, refreshed and more real than he had felt in a long while.

Of course he had always known he would. From the first time he had seen her he knew that he wanted to spend time with her. If someone had asked him he wouldn't have been able to explain it. He didn't understand it himself.

He had seen her across a crowded auditorium about a year before at the Hollywood and Highland Center. He had been nominated for his recent performance and was attending with his mother. As they were sitting down, he had glanced over to where Jessica Stanley was standing. She was gesticulating wildly and was obviously angry about something to do with her seat. As he watched he saw a young brunette standing next to her, her head tipped to one side, listening to Jessica's obvious tirade. The young woman didn't seem at all rattled by it. In fact she smiled sweetly at the blond actress and said something that actually made Jessica laugh and just like that the actress relaxed and sat in her seat. Edward knew at that moment that he had to know more about the brown-haired publicist with quiet authority.

Snapping out of the recollection, Edward, seeing the credits roll on the television, reached for a still-covered plate next to him.

"Here, I thought you'd like this." he said as he pushed it towards Bella.

He lifted the tin lid to reveal a lemon meringue pie.

"What's this for?"

"Well…" he said, shifting slightly, "I thought you could do with a little pick-me-up after Katie…"

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked embarrassed.

"She was obnoxious and I should have stopped her from speaking to you like that."

Bella gave him a sideways look, studying him as best she could at that angle. She shook her head lightly.

"Don't worry…"

"No," he cut her off. "It was unforgivable. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Bella said a little bewildered. The afternoon was becoming altogether too surreal for her liking. There she was, sitting on a king-sized hotel bed with the hottest actor she'd ever set eyes on. He, for his part, had casually partaken of a luncheon snack and was now handing her dessert as a form of apology. Stranger yet was how natural it all felt, and this made her feel uneasy.

"Lemon meringue is my favourite," she said softly.

"I know," he replied.

She looked at his downcast eyes as they slowly lifted to meet hers and then she frowned again.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

Edward shrugged and pulled out the printed sheets she'd had delivered to his room earlier.

"I wanted to also thank you for this."

"It was no problem. Really," she hesitated before chancing the risk of prying. "What did you want it for?"

He looked at her to gauge whether he should trust his instincts and confide in her.

"I wanted to check if Jessica Stanley was coming tonight."

"Oh," was all Bella could say.

She wondered if the speculation about Edward Cullen's inexhaustible sexual exploits might be based on truth. Her heart sank a little. If this was the case, she would never be able to compete with a supermodel-turned-actress of Jessica Stanley's league. She mentally kicked herself. What planet was she on? Supermodel or not she didn't and _shouldn't_ think of him like that. She was doing her job and he was her client. She looked to his eyebrows to remind her of that. They didn't seem to help that much so she decided that sitting on a bed with the drop dead gorgeous actor was not helping her remember these clear distinctions. She'd been lost in a bubble of companionship. She needed to distance herself so she began to move in order to get off the bed, one leg already on the floor.

As she shifted her weight however she found his hand on her arm. She looked back at him. His head was lowered so she could only see the top of it.

"Don't," he whispered.

"Don't what?" she whispered back not really knowing why they were whispering in the first place.

His hand ran down her arm to her hand. The touch lit a spark along the path his fingers took as they came to rest on top of hers. She felt as though her skin was on fire.

Still in a whisper he said, "Please."

"Please what?" She was still only seeing the top of his head and couldn't get a read on what was going on.

What she couldn't know was that he was scared that she was going to get up off the bed. He didn't want her to break the spell that had surrounded them all afternoon. He wanted to do something to keep her there with him, but he didn't want to startle her.

Hesitantly he brought his hand up with hers in it. She hadn't moved and for that he was grateful. He hoped that what he did next wouldn't frighten her off. He'd been wanting to do this for so long.

His lips pressed against the knuckles of her hand.

The touch of his lips was smooth, warm and sensuous. She was in a trance. She felt as if she was a protagonist in one of the films she helped promote. The thought only served to distract her all the more. What was he doing? This couldn't be real could it? The whole of her body buzzed at her contact with him and she was sure she was flushed from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.

Edward for his part was pleased by the simple things. For a start she still hadn't moved away. He had only intended to kiss the back of her hand in order to illustrate how much he had enjoyed her company. What he hadn't been prepared for was his reluctance to let her go once he started touching her.

Her skin was soft and had a delicate scent that he couldn't pinpoint but knew at once it would stay with him forever. He wanted to bask in all of the sensations surrounding him, but was uncertain of the reception she would give him if he tried. Despite this, he also realised that there was no way he could let her go unless she was the one to pull away. He was relieved, and not a little pleased that she made no such effort. It was more than he hoped for. He certainly hadn't come to her hotel room with the intention of seducing her. He knew of her reputation for keeping her private life exactly that – a difficult thing to achieve in an industry which blurred the distinctions of public and personal. He also knew that he only had 24 hours to try and get to know her in whatever capacity she would allow. He never assumed that she'd be so open. He was already craving more.

He pulled her arm closer and turning it, kissed the inside of her wrist. He didn't dare look at her. He thought that if he did he might lose courage or break the spell of the moment. Everything was quiet and still, except for his trailing kisses up her arm.

Bella held her breath. Her brain couldn't process what was happening. It seemed as if she was trapped in a delicious dream, and who was she to interrupt it?

As his lips touched the ticklish part of her flesh inside her elbow, she saw his eyes lifting to hers. She took a well needed breath, gasping slightly at what she saw. His eyes were focused on hers and she couldn't look away.

"Is this ok?" he asked.

She mutely nodded.

He pulled on her arm a little more hoping that she'd take it as a sign that he wanted her to close the gap between them on the bed. He was rewarded by her shifting back to her original position next to him.

Still holding her hand in one of his, he bought the other up to follow the path his lips had taken. Rather than stopping at her elbow he brushed it up to her shoulder before cupping her cheek.

The movement was so fluid that Bella was unable to stop herself from leaning into his touch. She sucked in another breath. She closed her eyes for a moment enjoying his warmth and the feeling that this was the most natural place in the world for her to be.

His thumb brushed over her lips. She opened her eyes and was treated to the sight of his face hovering a couple of inches away from her own.

He was mesmerized by her lips. They were perfect. Full and red and soft. His own lips were now jealous of his thumb and he wondered if he dared indulge in tasting them. He had never felt so unsure. He knew he couldn't stop himself now, but he'd also be devastated if she rejected him. He simply couldn't read her.

In the end he needn't have worried. Bella made the decision for both of them, closing the gap between them.

It was a shy kiss at first. He let her lead the dance; a few chaste kisses that allowed her to get to know the landscape before he felt her tongue sweep over his lips. He opened them immediately and felt her tongue brush against his. It was heavenly and the sensation sent a spark racing through his body, settling in his groin. He couldn't help the moan that escaped.

The sound spurred her on. It rang in her ears and as soon as she heard it she knew she wanted to hear it again. She was the one doing that to him. She could feel his hand on her neck, the other still holding her hand. He made no move to let go so she bought her free hand up and ran it through his hair. She'd been dreaming of doing that ever since she had seen him in _The Stranger_ and wasn't disappointed.

He moaned again and, elated, she responded in kind. And that was the signal. The dynamics between them changed instantly, and from soft, almost tentative kisses they became almost fierce. He couldn't hold back, and both of his hands went into her hair as he sucked on her bottom lip before tasting her again.

Her hand mirrored his and she pulled slightly on his hair trying to bring him closer to her. She wanted more of him.

He was the one to break their kiss as he turned her head and kissed his way down her neck, finding a particularly erogenous spot just below her ear. She shuddered as he gently sucked it, and sighed.

The fog of desire that had consumed her cleared a moment, and she suddenly became acutely aware of what they were doing. Her hands were still clasping his hair and his head was buried in the crook of her neck. Self conscious, she shifted slightly and bought her hands down to her side. He stilled his movements but didn't pull away from her.

She cleared her throat trying to collect herself.

He reluctantly let her go as she backed a little away from him, but kept his eyes down. He wanted to continue, and didn't want to see the look of rejection in her eyes. He should have known that she would break the kiss. He'd let himself get too carried away. He was surprised that she'd even let it go as far as it had. He felt her move off the bed and heard the door of the bathroom click shut behind her.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there brooding. He'd screwed up. He'd ruined everything and frightened her away. She'd think that he was like this with other women. He was aware of his reputation, and he knew it was entirely true. He'd wanted her to get to know him first so that he could approach her once she trusted him and hear his declaration. Now she'd flee without giving him a chance to tell her.

**=.=**

**Part Two will be up on Friday.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Twilight belongs to S. Meyer.**

**London, 6th February 2011 **

**This short story was meant to be a gift to all of you, and yet you're so generous you still give me lovely reviews! **

**Thank you all. I love hearing what you think of moviestarward and his publicist.**

**Humble apologies for the slight delay in getting this to you. Blame the bugs that decided to visit me over the last three days that have kept me from finishing. Much better now so without further delay, finally, here is Part Deux.**

**=.=**

Bella Swan stood with her back pressed up against the bathroom door. Her heart was beating loudly and when she looked in the mirror above the counter she saw flushed cheeks, unruly hair and the beginnings of a slight bruise on her neck.

Her first thought was 'Edward Cullen has given me a hickey'.

It all seemed so bizarre that she had to muffle a small laugh behind her hand.

Her second, third and fourth thoughts were: 'Edward Cullen is in my freaking hotel room. On my freaking bed. What the fuck am I doing?'

She closed her eyes and tried to regain some stability, but was instantly bombarded with memories of his lips. She had never been kissed like that, and she knew, although she didn't want to admit it to herself, that she wanted to experience it again.

She went over to the sink and splashed water on her face. Maybe that would help.

It didn't.

What was she going to do?

As soon as the question posed itself, she knew the answer.

She'd heard tales of his exploits. There were a great many of them and, as far as she knew, he had never denied any of them. But here he was in her hotel room. He had kissed her. She had liked it. It was clear that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and she wondered if she should take it. Of course it wouldn't mean anything, but it would probably be the only time her fantasy would become a reality.

She had never had a one night stand before. She'd always thought of them as being somewhat clinical. It didn't help that she had never been propositioned by anyone who had made it seem sexy enough to share the experience with. When it came down to it, Bella Swan was a romantic at heart and even if she might not know her partner of choice very well, she at least wanted to feel that they were sharing something special.

She pondered on her current predicament. She certainly found the man she had just left in the adjacent room appealing. That was an understatement. And he had been attentive and made her feel attractive. There was no denying that. However, the thing that tipped the balance was the fact that she couldn't convince herself that she wasn't curious to know whether the stories of his bedroom talents were true.

Of course she wasn't naive enough to think that it would mean the same for him as it did to her, nor that there wouldn't be a certain amount of awkwardness afterwards, but she was willing to face that if things unfolded as they promised to. After all, she would be able to carry on avoiding him as she had to date, and after a while she was certain he wouldn't remember her anyway. He did after all have a legendary reputation and soon her plain face would be forgotten amongst the starlets and supermodels that would inevitably follow.

Looking at her reflection, she knew she was already over-thinking things. Why shouldn't she indulge herself just this once? She was on a holiday. One holiday romance didn't make her promiscuous. At this point she should be more worried that she would regret not taking advantage of a good thing when it presented itself to her. It was hardly as if she did this every week. In fact she hadn't been intimate with anyone in that way for the last two years. It was about time she remembered what it was like.

Her mind made up, and before her courage left her, Bella headed back into the bedroom. She found him sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.

She walked over to where he was, stood in front of him and waited. She wasn't sure if he'd realised what he had done and regretted it, and she didn't want to make a fool of herself by assuming anything.

Head still in his hands, he seemed to be staring at the carpet where she stood. His head tilted to one side and he slowly looked up at her.

Their eyes met.

She was still quiet, slightly unsure about her decision, but when he parted his legs, hope sprang within her.

He reached for her hand and pulled her to him so that she was standing between his open legs, his face dangerously near to the top of her legs.

He put his hands on her hips and lent forward so that his forehead rested against the flat of her stomach.

"You're back."

"Yes."

"To be with me?"

Bella watched the top of his head. She was surprised at how tentative he sounded; unsure even. That wasn't what she expected from him.

"Yes," she confirmed quietly.

He let the breath he had been holding out. He had been so worried that he had pushed her too far, too soon. And yet, here she was in front of him. That was evidence enough that she wanted to be with him in the same way that he wanted to be with her. It made him very happy.

He tilted his head back and her breath caught in her throat. He was smiling at her and it was the most beautiful thing she thought she'd ever seen.

"You're too far away up there," he said. "Come here."

Still standing between his legs she leaned down to him. He reached up to bring her face closer to his and kissed her. He felt her sigh and it encouraged him to slowly lean backwards.

His movement took Bella with him, so that she found herself, somewhat wantonly she thought, straddled over his now horizontal body. His hands were still cupping her face, and Bella decided to take the opportunity to explore his body. It seemed rude not to.

And what a body it was; lithe and toned and laid out for the taking.

Trailing her hands down his sides, making him squirm a little when she ghosted over those ticklish areas, she soon found herself gripping the bottom of his shirt. Hesitantly she slipped one hand under it to feel the warm soft skin of his stomach and the light smattering of hair just underneath his navel. She knew where that path led and the thought made Bella Swan feel deliciously light headed and suddenly a little shy. Here was this heartthrob lying underneath her, and she wasn't feeling confident. She wasn't used to taking the lead like this and he must have been with far more experienced and skilled partners. The thought made her falter and she stopped moving.

He felt her body tense over him and paused from kissing her neck.

"What is it?"

She shook her head. How could she articulate her self-doubt? She didn't want what they were doing to stop, but didn't know how to move past it. She bent down to kiss him again before moving off him and settling beside him on the bed.

"Are you alright?"

He could feel that her body was still tense. He was worried that she was having second thoughts. If she was he didn't know what he'd do. He was conflicted. He was sure it would be impossible for him to take his hands off her skin. Now that he knew what it felt like, he was too selfish to stop. On the other hand he would never do anything to hurt her.

She shook her head again at his question and put her arm over her eyes.

She was biting her lower lip, trying to calm her breathing. His fingers skimmed down the length of her body leaving a blazing trail that echoed across it.

She felt the bed dip beside her and his hands lifting her arm. She kept her eyes closed.

"What's wrong?" he coaxed, "please tell me."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"It's stupid."

There was no response from him to this and it tore into all her fears.

She felt his palm against her cheek.

"Hey… open your eyes."

She shook her head. She didn't want to because if she did she'd have to deal either with insincere reassurances or with him making his excuses and leaving. She really didn't want that.

"Bella, please look at me."

She took a breath and slowly did as he asked. He was smiling kindly at her.

"Thank you," he said. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

She found her voice, although it was weak. "I'm embarrassed."

He frowned, "Why?"

He looked along the contours of her body and could see nothing amiss. Quite the contrary in fact, she looked delicious. His eyes rested on her face again.

Bella sighed and scrunched her eyes up before resigning herself to the fact that she'd have to say something. Now she wished she had just gone with the flow and not over-thought things. She was going to have to explain it to him. Out aloud. She cringed at the thought. She didn't want him to feel obliged to her in any way.

"I'm so turned on."

His eyes widened a moment and then he couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of him. She was too sweet for words, and to say that he was relieved to hear that it might not be anything more serious was an understatement.

He tried his best to dampen his laughter quickly. He didn't want her thinking that he was mocking her. After all she had been honest with him.

"And what's wrong with that?"

Glancing down her body she frowned. He followed what she was looking at and still couldn't pinpoint what would make her feel timid in this moment.

Hesitantly she took his hand in hers and bought it to rest on her stomach. He found that he was holding his breath. He had no idea what she was going to do. However, he didn't want to take advantage of her. He needed to know that she wanted him as much as he did her.

She tried to stay calm remembering how comfortable they'd been together before her moment of self doubt. She badly wanted to get back to having that connection with him again. Maybe she could side-step any explanation.

Keeping her hand on top of his, she tried to coax his to move further down but he didn't move. She looked him in the eye.

He shook his head and said, "Not until you tell me."

Damn. There was no way she would be able to get out of saying something to him. She averted her eyes before telling him.

"I… I'm…" she paused, "… I'm not very experienced…"

Unable to look at him Bella was inwardly cringing at her admission, so much so that she found she couldn't get any more words out. She wished that he'd let it drop.

She felt the bed move next to her and knew he was about to move away from her. She was therefore more than a little surprised to feel his fingertips on her lips and looked up at him with wide, shocked eyes. She was met with a warm, shy smile and green eyes.

"I just want to be close to you," he whispered. "Will you let me?"

Enchanted, she simply nodded her consent, feeling at once back in the safe, secret world they had previously been in. Well, Bella reasoned, even if it was just for one afternoon she did want to be with him. He was after all a sex god… And before she could continue her musing she realised that he was swiftly closing the distance between them and his mouth was brushing over hers.

The kiss was a tender one and when he broke away he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear, "You're so beautiful."

He looked from her eyes to her lips. His hair was in total disarray and he licked his lips. She gazed up at him and hypnotised by the sweep of his tongue, she realised that she was about to start over-thinking things again. He didn't seem to be going anywhere so why did she have to second guess herself. He'd no doubt tell her if he wanted things to be different.

She turned onto her side, mirroring his position next to her. She leant forward and kissed him back, her hands moving more certainly now across his chest and back down to his navel. He moaned, which only encouraged her.

She was setting his body alight and before long he wanted more. He sat up pulling her with him and moved her so that she was sitting on his knees; each of her legs bent either side of his thighs.

It didn't take long for her to catch up with his intention and, breaking their kiss, she slid his shirt over his head.

"Now yours," he said, tugging at her T-shirt.

Seeing the way he was anxiously trying to remove her clothing, she smiled. It made her feel attractive, desired. She lifted her arms and he was hidden for a moment by the material.

She was puzzled when she saw him a few seconds later. He was looking so intently at her chest that she had to look down to check that nothing was amiss. There didn't seem to be but his smouldering gaze made her question this.

"Is anything wrong?"

Maybe he had an aversion to simple white bras. She'd worked with enough actors to know that they had their foibles, but couldn't for the life of her work out what the problem was here.

"I can put my T back on if you want?" She offered.

He gripped the shirt that was in his right hand more tightly as if he was afraid she might take it away from him.

"No," he replied in a rather high squeak.

Yes, he, Edward Cullen, had been reduced to squeaking.

It was the sight of her perfect bra-clad breasts that had done it. He couldn't wait to get better acquainted with them.

He leaned forward slowly and kissed the top of each breast. She shuddered at the feel of his lips there, combined with what she could feel pressing up towards her under his jeans. The thought of it aroused her further and she experimentally shifted her weigh along the bulge.

His response was instantaneous. He bucked his hips upward, into her and a jolt of pleasure fanned out from between her legs across her body. She was hoping that he would do it again, and sure enough, when she moved against him a second time, he did. It made her greedy for more and she continued moving, lost in the sensation.

She was so distracted by what she was doing that when she felt his mouth on the suddenly bare skin of her breast, she groaned, not caring about how it sounded. She looked down to see him nipping and kissing his way around both breasts, her bra pushed down to give him access. The view made her groan again. It looked so hot. It felt so hot. She couldn't get enough. Her body was tensing, wanting more.

She repeated the message to Edward. "I want more," and as she said it his mouth closed around her nipple. Now the sensations were almost getting too much. Her body started to tighten in anticipation, moving of its own accord.

Edward thought he was in heaven. Either that or he had fallen asleep on her bed as he waited for her to come out of the bathroom and was having the best dream he'd ever had. He vaguely thought he should pinch himself to make sure. Instead he opted for pinching the nipple in front of him that wasn't in his mouth. It earned him a low, long moan. He decided that he liked that particular sound a lot. He wanted to hear it again, so he took a small bite at the nipple he was concentrating on.

Yes, there it was again.

It had been a while since he had looked at the face of the owner of that moan and without letting go of the nipple, for he was too greedy for that, he looked into the brown eyes of the girl above him.

That gesture earned him a rather breathy, 'Oh my god'.

Yes. He was definitely in heaven.

He felt her whole body start to quiver against his, her movements becoming more erratic. The image of what he was witnessing was nearly his own undoing.

"Are you coming for me?" he asked.

Her answer was in the form of a quiet mewling 'Yesssss' that grew louder as her body continued its journey to its climax.

He had never felt so connected with anyone. Her movements over him were simply divine. But he wanted more. He wanted to give _her_ more.

Letting go of her nipple he reached up and bought her lips down to his. She was moving wildly against him, which emboldened him further. Holding her closely to him he twisted his torso and tumbled her onto the bed, moving with her so that he was the one on top of her.

The change in their position didn't stop her from moving against him. She felt as though she were being gripped in a frenzy. She wanted to get closer to him, for him to be a part of her. And then everything went white.

=.=

It was only when she felt him holding her hands by the side of her head and his body pressing hers into the mattress that Bella Swan started to become aware of her wantonness a few minutes before. She looked up at him and saw what seemed to be awe on his face.

Kissing her gently he said, "You're wild."

"It's how you make me feel," she replied truthfully.

"There's no hurry, we have all afternoon."

For as much as he liked her passion, Edward wanted to savour this first moment with her. He wanted to make it special, a time for them both to remember. They kissed again, slowly, sensuously, exploring one another while her breathing evened out.

He tentatively took his hand from one of her wrists and bought it to her breast, tweaking it naughtily before he slowly swept his hand down the rest of her body to the top of her jeans.

"Can I take these off?" He asked politely. His mother would be proud of him.

She nodded and watched as he sat up and carefully undid her flies before peeling off the jeans and discarding them on the floor.

He gazed down at her and suddenly wasn't so sure that he would be able to go as slowly as he had wanted. Certainly not the first time round. She was just too exquisite. More than he had ever imagined.

He traced his fingertips up her legs, over her thighs and slowed as he came to her white cotton underwear. He circled the edges of it before moving on to explore other contours.

Still flushed from their exertions moments before Bella watched him as he looked down at her body. He seemed to be cataloguing every part of her, moving his fingers over the curves, dimples and blemishes as though she were a work of art. Of course she knew the truth. She knew that the cellulite around her behind and tea-stain birthmark on her hip made her less than perfect, and if it had been anybody else doing this she would have felt self conscious. Instead he seemed to be defining her, making her real and special and, well, _his_.

She marvelled at this thought. How was it that she could feel so at ease with someone that she had, in effect, met only a few hours ago? This wasn't like her. How had it all happened? It was surreal. Particularly when the man bending over her was the fantasy of so many women, herself included.

She was basking in his simple touch and decided to take this opportunity to examine him in turn. He looked… well, he looked fuck-hot. His bronze hair was scruffy, standing up in all directions. That, combined with intensity of his eyes, made him look as if he was battling to restrain himself. His fingers however remained soft and gentle as they slid across her flesh and he watched their path. He was back to stroking the elastic of her underwear.

The feeling was driving her crazy. And his fingers continued to go back and forth.

She could see the tip of his pink tongue peeking out from between his lips, those wicked lips that had just been on her breasts, and his eyebrows were creased in concentration. Bella took a shuddering breath. Those eyebrows were no longer going to help keep her grounded. Dammit. They were just too sinful.

Back and forth. Soft and persistent touches.

She couldn't take it anymore and her body automatically responded to her thoughts as she arched her pelvis towards him. The action elicited a mischievous smile from him as he looked up to her eyes through his lashes.

"You're teasing," she panted.

"You don't like it?" he asked, smiling back.

His fingers moved over the material and slipped down to the space between her legs causing her to suck in a quick breath and moan at the same time. His finger was pressed right _there._

"Please."

"What? What is it?" He said in seeming innocence.

She cursed his acting skills. Was he going to make her beg? A small voice inside her felt rather indignant about this, but a louder one knew that without a doubt she would if he threatened to stop.

"You know what."

He raised one of those damnable eyebrows at her.

She now wanted to lick them.

"I'm not sure I do." As he said the words she felt his fingers move further down.

She knew the instant that they came into contact with the arousal seeping though the material for it was his turn to moan loudly.

He looked down to where his hand was.

"You're so wet," he whispered, more to himself than to her. Seeming to remember himself, he looked back into those dark chocolate eyes and said, "Maybe I do understand now, but I'd like to see." His shy smile was back. "Will you let me?"

Bella nodded thinking, 'Good Lord, he has to ask? Doesn't he know that I'll be taking them off myself in ten seconds flat if he doesn't?'

Her momentary distraction was snapped back to attention when she felt him hooking his thumbs under either side of her cotton underwear.

Reluctantly tearing his eyes from her face, he looked down. He didn't want to miss anything and the full reveal of her body was something he wanted to revel in.

The material rolled down her thighs and legs easily and the two of them held their breath. They were both aware that this was a defining moment and waited to see how the other would react.

Edward raised his eyes to look at Bella. She was simply stunning. There was no mask with her, just herself, naked on the bed and trusting herself to him. She was completely herself. Her body was perfect and he felt the stirring of a feeling he had always been afraid of. It was different this time for he realised that he didn't want to back away from it.

Their eyes locked and still neither of them moved. The bubble they had been in all afternoon seemed to suddenly expand to hold something else. They both felt the connection between them and it seemed to glimmer brighter as they looked back at one another.

Once freeing her of her undergarments and depositing them on the floor next to him, Edward slid his hands back up over her calves and knees before gently nudging her legs further apart. Still looking up at her, her hooded eyes, her hair upon the pillow, he could feel her velvet skin underneath his fingertips. He wanted to know what it felt like on his lips and so he started intermittently kissing his way up her legs.

"You're so soft," he whispered, his hands moving higher, thumbs running along Bella's inner thigh shortly followed by his lips.

By the time his face was at the apex of her legs Bella was squirming. His touches were tickling her oversensitive skin and the anticipation was killing her.

He stopped just short of where she wanted his mouth, or fingers for that matter, to be.

"Now, now, if you're going to move around so much, I won't be able to concentrate on what I'm doing."

"I thought you weren't going to tease me any more?"

"Really? I don't remember saying anything of the sort."

The signature smirk that appeared on so many of his publicity shots was in place. He wouldn't be able to deny her much longer. He wanted her too much, the tightness of his trousers a testament to that.

Bella propped herself up on her elbows to challenge him. She could see the humour behind his eyes and gave him an exaggerated fake scowl back. Upon seeing it he couldn't help but let out a carefree laugh. She made him feel light and happy and himself. He crawled over her, needing to be nearer to her and to try and convey how he cherished her for it.

"I didn't mean to test you so much."

"Well, I never said I didn't like it," she replied with a cheeky glint in her eye, and before he could move she darted forward and licked one of his eyebrows.

Startled Edward jerked back. "What the hell?" He wiped his now wet brow saying to her, "oh… you are in so much trouble…" and with that he pounced.

=.=

The hotel telephone rang, shattering the silence in the room.

Seconds before the shrill noise awoke her, Bella Swan had been asleep and having a rather fabulous dream about a certain handsome actor. Blindly reaching for the receiver and still half asleep, Bella managed to knock the phone to the floor before putting it to her ear.

"There you are," said the sulking voice at the other end, "I don't want to wear the dress I bought for tonight so you'll have to go and pick me up another one."

Bella sat straight up in bed trying to clear her head.

"Of course. Do you have any preference which designer?"

She heard Kate Denali huff. "I only wear Prada or D&G. I've already phoned them for some ideas. Get them to me by six."

"I might be a little later…" Bella started to say, but Kate Denali had already hung up.

Bella looked at the receiver for a second. Placing it back on its cradle she suddenly jumped, yelping at the same time, when she felt something stir besides her. There, on the right hand side of the bed, watching her with sleepy eyes and a wicked smirk, was none other than Edward Cullen.

Bella wondered if it had finally happened. Had she finally lost it and was now hallucinating her crush?

When she felt his hand settle on her thigh she gave herself a mental pat-on-the-back for how realistic her hallucination was.

When she felt his lips against her shoulder and his hand move upwards, deliberately stroking her sex, she began to think that this might not be a dream after all.

"Hello beautiful," he murmured against her shoulder, his fingers stroking the soft skin between her legs, "humm, still wet for me?"

She blushed and he chuckled. "You can't still be embarrassed with me. You showed me a couple of tricks earlier that even I've never tried before."

She knew he was joking, trying to make her feel comfortable and she felt her heart swell slightly. It brought images to mind of how they'd spent the afternoon.

_His fingers finding her most ticklish spots. Her trying to wriggle away from him. Laughter. His tongue turning them into sensual areas. Laughter turning into unladylike moans._

He had been sweet and thoughtful and, to her mind, genuine. As they had spent the afternoon together she had found herself falling for him. It wasn't the heartthrob that she was succumbing to but the man himself, the man behind the megastar. She had tried to bury it, to talk herself out of that feeling. She knew it couldn't lead anywhere good. He'd be leaving tomorrow and she'd be just another notch on his bedpost. She didn't regret anything; she just didn't want to be hurt because of her inflated expectations.

Still touching her he sat up a little straighter next to her so that he was eye level with her. "Why the frown?"

She stroked his cheek, smiling at him. "Just your most recent co-star ordering me to go and pick up her dress. I'm going to have to get ready and go and I don't really want to… is that bad?"

He let his head bang against the headboard and in the most seductive voice he could muster (which in truth would make even the most heterosexual man melt) said, "Come on, you can stay here half an hour longer can't you?"

"I don't think Miss Denali would be very happy with me." Bella tried her best to resist.

"Now I'm torn… I don't want you to have to take any more of her crap, but then again, I don't want to waste this…" and as he said this he circled her clitoris once before gently easing his thumb into her warmth. This time it was her head that hit the headboard with a loud thud. He'd done this earlier as well, and she knew what came next.

_The slow circling, the push and pull of his thumb, the pinching of nipples, the replacement of his thumb with his long index finger, and then his index and middle fingers._

Just the thought of it made her hot and she pressed her legs together prematurely trapping his hand there.

"I might have only spent an afternoon with you, but I already know that there is no such thing as 'half an hour' when it comes to what you're proposing."

He batted his eyelashes at her in attempt to convince her. She laughed. "No, no, no… You're going to get me into trouble."

He sighed, reluctant. "Okay. But if I let you go now you have to promise that we get into trouble with one another later tonight… deal?"

She smiled, "You're on," and Edward Cullen thought to himself that he had never seen anyone as stunning in his whole life as Bella Swan in that moment.

=.=

At eight o'clock Bella was standing in the lobby of the Soho Hotel. She was not sure about seeing Edward again after their afternoon… Just thinking of it made her tingle all over. She wanted a repeat performance but also didn't want to have any expectations. She was trying to prepare herself for disappointment. He had been so sweet to her when he was leaving, saying goodbye to her, regretting that they hadn't had more time, wanting more time and kissing her, the kiss escalating every time to a point where they had to break away and start their goodbyes again. It had taken him ten minutes to finally get out into the hall, and a further five for him to walk to the elevator.

She just didn't know how he was going to react to seeing her now. She didn't know how she was going to react for that matter. It was one thing to be in the safe bubble of a private hotel room. It was quite another being in public and working.

In short, she was nervous.

Luckily she didn't have to wait for long. At ten past eight the two actors walked into the lobby. Kate was wearing one of the dresses Bella had had to pick up and looked as stunning as she knew she was. Bella's eyes however were on Edward. He was in a sharp dark brown suit and looked breathtaking.

As they got nearer Bella realised that to get through the evening she was going to have to concentrate on anything other than him. If she didn't, she would just end up licking him. Again.

_Licking his neck. His abs. Following that smattering of hair beneath his navel that had gotten her into all that trouble earlier. Venturing further down. Satin skin over hard muscle, taut and needy._

Blushing at the memories, she said a quick, "Good evening," as she turned and walked them to the car. Through her determination Bella could feel his eyes on her every step of the way.

Once in the car he started asking her all sorts of questions about the evening. She suspected it was his attempt to get her to look back at where he was sitting next to Kate Denali. It felt as if it was an unspoken game between him and Bella and she was very pleased at her ability to resist. Kate however got bored of it very quickly and soon Bella heard the whine of the privacy screen coming up between the front and back seats.

While her rational side knew that this was Kate's doing, Bella's irrational side decided to have an _End of Year Free For All_, and she was seized with the sudden panic that he was regretting how they had spent the afternoon and was moving on to another girl already. She had believed what he had said earlier. But then he was an actor…

She felt a little nauseous. She wasn't regretting what they had done so much as wondering how much of it had been real. Their bubble had burst the moment they had opened the hotel door to the real world, and Bella reluctantly admitted to herself that it was unlikely that they'd get it back.

She tried to put it out of her mind and focused on the work ahead of her that evening.

=.=

Bella was pleased with how the evening had gone so far. The studio had gone all out to make this party as star-studded as possible. It was the first time that they had held an event like this, inviting all of the A-list talent that they were working with to a high profile New Year's Eve party.

She had delivered her clients to the party at the perfect moment, timing their entrance brilliantly so that they got the most coverage. The press outside had adored them. They both looked beautiful and they were both relaxed, spending time with the journalists doing interviews.

Once inside she had then made sure that they had spent time early on with each of the studio execs that mattered, thus allowing the two actors the opportunity to relax. They were free to hang out rather than work the room. It was New Year's Eve after all.

=.=

She'd been so busy that she had had little time to reflect on how she was feeling about Edward-Gate. Now she was standing at the bar, with a glass of juice in her hand, looking across the busy room. She saw a flash of bronze hair and waited to see if there'd be a break in the crowd for her to get a better look at him. It reminded her of earlier.

_His head between her knees. Tongue on her most intimate flesh. And then inside her. Turning over onto her hands and knees. Him inside her again. Finally, deliciously, together at last. His chest over her back. Her arm bent, her hand gripping his hair. The pushing and pulling. The perfect rhythm._

She took a large gulp of her juice to try and cool down and keep her thoughts focused on her job. She didn't need to be daydreaming about him. Dwelling on what had happened that very afternoon was not going to help her be rational and level-headed when it came to saying goodbye to him.

At that moment the crowd parted and, as if to justify all of these thoughts, Bella spotted Edward Cullen surrounded by no less than five young ladies. He was regaling them with what seemed to be an involved and entertaining anecdote. He finished with a flourish and the women around him laughed. Kate Denali took centre stage then and, turning to look directly at Bella, pointed her out to the others before laughing. The only one not looking at Bella was the man of the group.

Hurt, Bella turned away from them and allowed herself to order a whisky. She usually never drank while working, but this evening she needed a little fortitude to see her through.

Glass in hand she turned back in time to see Edward Cullen walking up the stairs arm in arm not only with Kate Denali but Jessica Stanley as well.

Despite her best efforts Bella's heart cracked a little. If she was being truthful it was more than just a little. She tried to scold herself with I-told-you-so's and what-did-you-expect's, but it hurt nonetheless.

He had told her earlier that he'd wanted to have a look at the guest list so that he could be prepared if Jessica Stanley was going to be there. He had had a 'thing' with her a few months back and he didn't want to be cornered by her at the party. He had reassured Bella that it had been a one-time thing and hadn't elaborated further. Bella had not been surprised given his reputation so hadn't asked more about it. Seeing him walk up the stairs with Jessica on his arm made Bella question whether anything he had said was true.

Deciding that she couldn't think about it right now, she straightened her back and thought about what else needed to be done. There wasn't anything. She had effectively done her job for the evening and so went in search of her clients' driver to give him final instructions for the evening.

=.=

Bella's cell phone rang as she was walking across the main room. It was Tanya. 'Strange', thought Bella as she found a quiet spot to the side of the room to answer the call. She was curious. Tanya rarely checked in on such a simple job.

"Why are you checking up on me?" Bella Swan smelled a rat.

"No reason. I just wanted to touch base with you." Tanya replied sweetly.

Yes, something was most definitely not right. Tanya Knight was never sweet.

"Don't lie to me. This is a simple babysitting job. I do this all the time." Confrontation, Bella decided, was the best policy in this instance.

Tanya clearly had had enough as well.

"Yeah, well," she snapped, "it's not every day the client requests the assistant over me."

"What?" Bella was confused, "Kate Denali asked for me?"

Tanya's bark of laughter echoed down the phone.

"No. Not Kate."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh' is right. But when the hottest property in Hollywood asks for something, he almost certainly gets it."

"What does he want?"

"I don't know, but I don't need to tell you that he is very good for business. Don't fuck this up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tanya. I'll be sure to try and remember that."

As Bella hung up, her head was buzzing. She didn't understand. What this mean? Why had he asked for her? Was he just using her? Was she another conquest? He did have a reputation, and one that he had even joked about with her…

No. She refused to allow herself to go there. If she did she knew she'd end up making a fool of herself in front of all these people. She needed to distract herself and find something to help her get through this. Another whiskey would help see her back to her room… oh god… her room. It was now filled with memories of him… She'd just have to ask to change rooms. Yes. That was a good plan. First a drink. Then the concierge at her hotel.

=.=

The bathroom door closed behind him. The two women in front of him were giggling about something utterly irrelevant and starting to make out with one another. He could see right through it though. It was forced and obviously solely for his benefit. He couldn't care less.

All he could think of was the look on Bella's face while Kate was doing what she did best – being a Class A bitch. He'd suggested they go upstairs simply as a way to get them as far away from his beautiful girl as possible. Now that he had them there he had no idea what he was going to do.

Kate Denali turned to him and, playing with the thin straps of her dress, walked up to him.

"So Eddie, now that you have us here all on our own, what are you going to do with us?"

He honestly didn't have a clue.

=.=

She had started to make her way towards exit when the countdown to the New Year had begun and she was jostled to the side of the room.

"10" the crowd yelled out jubilantly around her.

She looked around and couldn't see him anywhere. She felt her heart crack open a little more.

"9"

She knew that she was silly to have allowed herself to hope. She of all people knew how fickle those in her business were.

"8"

She couldn't stop herself from looking around for Kate Denali. No, she was nowhere to be seen. It was hardly a surprise after seeing her disappear into the bathroom with Edward.

"7"

She could feel tears threatening to fall. No, she wouldn't let anyone here see that. She'd had a hook up. An amazing, glorious, mind-blowing hook up. At least she'd have an amazing memory. Still, she had thought he was different.

"6"

She didn't want to be there anymore. She needed some fresh air. And she clearly wasn't needed here anymore. She started to move towards the door once more.

"5"

She felt hands on her waist, stopping her movement. They turned her and she was facing dazzling green eyes and coppery hair. His eyes were so intense that there was no way for her to stop looking into them.

"4"

"Where do you think you're going?" Her heart faltered. She couldn't understand what he was saying.

"3"

"You're mine. And I want my New Year's kiss." No, Bella thought, he must be teasing me. Her heart started beating faster.

"2"

"But you… you and Kate… and Jessica." His finger stopped her lips, replying, "I made it clear that I wasn't available. Ever."

"1"

He closed the distance between them.

"And I want everyone here to know that too," his lips touched hers, "before I take you back to my hotel room and we finish what we started."

And they were lost in each other as the crowd around them cheered.

"Happy New Year!"

**{{=.=}}**

**Fin.**

**I hope you enjoyed this bit of fluff. Running back to This Buried Life now…**

**Final note: Since finishing this story, my beta Songster couldn't help herself and was kind enough to go over it. She spotted my mistakes such as carves instead of calves! What would I do without her?**


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